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We're Dedicated to Helping Businesses Do Good

B Corps are a growing community of more than 1,850 companies—including Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, Etsy, Seventh Generation, and Eileen Fisher—that aspire to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.
The Force for Good Accelerator is designed to help nurture, support, and grow women and people of color-owned, high-impact B Corporations.

Our Existing Funders

First Investee: Spotlight Girls

Prospect: 10Power

Prospect: The Town Kitchen

Prospect: Tanka Bar

Prospect: Cooperation Jackson

Other Prospects:

Investor Q&A

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What does your company do?

The Force for Good Fund invests in women and people of color-owned, “Best for the World” B Corporations (i.e., companies that score in the top 10% of B Corps worldwide).

Where will your company be in 5 years?

Our ambition is to (1) become the first crowdfunded investment fund for "Best for the World" B Corporations, (2) increase the number of women and people of color-owned B Corps, (3), increase the number of B Corps that address climate change through their business model, (4) help more companies measure, compare, and improve their social and environmental performance, and (5) prove that this model works so it can be scaled and/or replicated anywhere in the world.

What's new about what you're making? How is it different?

B Corps are a growing community of more than 1,850 companies--including Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, Etsy, Seventh Generation, and Eileen Fisher--that aspire to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.
The Force for Good Accelerator is designed to help nurture, support, and grow women and people of color-owned, high-impact, “Best for the World” B Corporations (i.e., companies that score in the top 10% of B Corps worldwide).
This fund is needed because it is incredibly difficult for early-stage, socially and environmentally responsible businesses run by women and people of color to access non-extractive capital.
The support services are also needed because the decisions that entrepreneurs make very early in the life of the company (e.g., where to seek financing, who to choose as their suppliers, who to hire, how to split equity/ownership, etc.) can severely restrict the company’s ability to maximize its positive impact over the long term.
The Force for Good Accelerator / Fund is an innovative opportunity to support these early-stage entrepreneurs with the guidance, access to capital, and connections they need in order to be successful.

What are the objectives of this project?

The objectives of this pilot project include, but are not limited to:
Becoming the world’s first accelerator / fund that is specifically designed to nurture, grow, and launch “Best for the World” B Corporations (i.e., companies that score ~130 points or above on the B Impact Assessment and have earned B Corp Certification)
Increasing the number of women- and people of color-owned/managed B Corps
Increasing the number of B Corps who are seeking to address climate change through their business model
Helping start-up and early stage companies earn Pending B Corp status by:
Incorporating stakeholder interests into their foundational legal documents (e.g., incorporate as a benefit corporation) to give them the freedom to pursue more than just profits
Guiding them through the B Impact Assessment to help them implement best practices from the start, with a goal of achieving B Corp certification as soon as they are eligible
Connecting prospective B Corps to a thriving network of over 1,850 B Corp mentors, potential suppliers, and referral partners

What are the benefits to investees / accelerated companies?

The benefits to investees include:
- All the benefits of becoming a Pending B Corp and eventually Certified B Corporation, including increased trust, brand value, retention, discounts, and more.
- Seed capital that will allow leadership to work “on” the business (rather than “in” the business) for at least one year
-Access to a thriving B Corp community, including membership in the regional B2B Networking groups in regions where they exist
- Introductions to other B Corps who could become mentors, suppliers, distributors, and/or partners
- A well structured container for developing key business systems that will enable growth
- A curated peer group of like-minded social entrepreneurs

Why is this an “accelerator”? Won’t companies need long-term support to have a chance to be “Best for the World”?

The word “accelerator” usually refers to a short-term (e.g., ~3 month) program where entrepreneurs all share the same physical location. The Force for Good Accelerator, in contrast, is a non-place based, longer term (at least one year) program of funding and service support. We feel that the longer term model of support is important because it allows the entrepreneur to continue to run his or her business while providing maximum educational value over an extended amount of time. Being non-place based will also be less expensive to run.

Will you give preference to certain industries / business models / diverse teams?

Yes.
- At a minimum, at least 51% of all companies accelerated must be owned/managed by women.
- Similarly, at least 51% of all companies accelerated must be owned/managed by people of color.
- These are both minimum requirements, not the maximum.
Preference will be given to companies that meet the following characteristics:
- Companies whose business model is specifically designed to mitigate and reduce the effects of climate change (e.g., regenerative agriculture, carbon sequestration, alternative energy, eco-literacy, etc.)
- Companies that can become models for the development of local living economies supporting regional local self reliance. Models, in this context, means companies that provide needed goods and/or services whose practices and methods could be regionally replicated and adapted.
- Companies that prioritize worker ownership or worker inclusion in decision making.

What types of prospective investees have you found so far?

We have a good list of companies from our work with over 100+ high-impact social entrepreneurs over the last six years. We have already identified over a dozen companies that would, preliminarily (pre-diligence), be a good fit for the accelerator.
Additionally, we anticipate that creating the world’s first Force for Good Accelerator will generate an incredible amount of interest and prospective applicants for this program (particularly from referrals from existing B Corps).
If anything, we anticipate that the large amount of interest in this project will allow us to hold a very high ethical bar for acceptance into the accelerator. This is a good problem to have.

How will companies be screened for acceptance?

Prospective participants will be evaluated based on:
Recommendations from the Force for Good Accelerator / Fund advisory board
Recommendations from B Lab and the B Corp community
Commitment to earning Pending B Corp status on path to full certification
Their preliminary score on the B Impact Assessment (or prospective score if a start-up)
Their potential benefit to B Corp community (e.g., a key supplier for other existing B Corps)
An analysis of their financial projections and historical performance
Values alignment of the team
Scalability and/or replicability
Potential value for the B Corp brand
Willingness to invest in support services

What will the content of the accelerator look like?

Funding to recipients in amounts up to $100,000
12 months of service support provided by LIFT Economy and LIFT Economy Law
Monthly service support includes the following (customized to the needs of each company):
Impact vision support / business model optimization
Support in preparing for a higher B Impact Assessment score
Recruiting, hiring, orientation, onboarding and retention support
Core value proposition refinement and marketing strategy
Thought leadership development and support with associated marketing tactics
Operational systems development
Sales and business development strategy and tactics
Customer service support strategy and project development
Participants will also have access to dozens of seasoned B Corp executives who will play a mentorship role. Participants will also be part of a cohort of companies facing similar challenges to share tips, ideas, and best practices

Will $50k-100k in investment capital be enough to move the needle for these companies?

Yes. In our conversations with founders of several of the aforementioned companies, $50k-$100k would help move them to the next important business milestone. For example, it might be hiring a critical staff member, buying a key piece of equipment, or developing a new product. The amount of money is small yet significant.

What is your proposed timeline?

In 2016 we are raising capital, identifying prospective investees, and performing due diligence. The Force for Good Accelerator would formally launch in early 2017.

What annual return can investors expect to earn?

The fund will pay out 95% of the proceeds from our investees to our investors on a pro rata basis. The return will depend on our investees’ ability to meet their obligations under our investment agreements with them. Our agreement with our investors includes a provision that promises a 2.5% annual return regardless of the performance of the fund.

How can you promise a 2.5% annual return regardless of the performance of the fund?

First, we have run scenarios in our financial model and we believe 2.5% is a relatively conservative projection of the returns from the fund.
Second, our intention is to raise something called a “loan-loss reserve.” This is a pool of capital funded by charitable donations and grants. The loan-loss reserve would help pay back investors if the fund does not perform as well as expected.
It is important to note that we currently do not have a loan-loss reserve. We are actively speaking to individuals, foundations, family offices, and B Corps to solicit charitable donations to fund the loan-loss reserve. We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in raising these funds.
We will keep investors and other interested stakeholders updated about our progress via this WeFunder page.

Will you be taking equity in the accelerated companies? How will you pay back investors?

We are designing the investments from the fund to the investees with an "integrated capital approach." This is sometimes referred to as a "cobbler" approach rather than a "cinderella" approach in which the type of investment that a fund will make is predetermined and the same for all investees.
The integrated approach calls for designing investment terms with each investee that match their stage, cash flow, market, anticipated future capital needs and sources (it might be appropriate for some investees to have a fixed interest rate and monthly payments after a grace period, it might make sense to structure the investment as a loan repaid on a royalty on gross revenues paid monthly, etc.).
We have modeled dozens of scenarios of hypothetical portfolios benchmarked off real-world performance (companies we've worked with over the last 6 years) of likely similar stage investees/enterprises mostly orienting towards a royalty on gross revenue model with a cap on repayment.
When running these scenarios, it shows that a royalty on gross revenues of 1-2% with a royalty pay back cap of 1.5-2.5x the investment calculates to an effective interest rate of 5-7% for the investee.

What does it mean that you'll distribute 95% of all proceeds (pro-rata) to investors for 8 years?

It means that Community Ventures, the nonprofit that is hosting the fund, will keep 5% of the proceeds from the fund to cover ongoing administrative costs.

Will investors be paid back annually or a lump sum at the end of 8 years?

Annually. Investors will receive annual payments within 90 days of the close of the fiscal year.

What am I actually investing in? Do I own a percentage of the companies, the fund itself, the accelerator, or something else?

Investors are essentially making a loan to the Force for Good Fund. This loan comes with a 2.5% annual return on investment over 8 years (and more if the fund performs better).

How much are you trying to raise?

Our goal is to raise $1M by the end of 12 months.

How many companies do you want to work with? How much investment capital will each company get?

Our goal is to work with 7-10 companies. Each company will get between $70k-$100k in investment capital and a year of consulting services from LIFT Economy.

What happens if you raise less than $1M, say $250k?

If we raise less than $1M, we will work with fewer companies. For example, if we raise $250k, we would work with 2-3 companies. This will not affect our goal of a 2.5% annual return for investors.

How does LIFT Economy get paid? Will any of the money you raise be used to compensate LIFT directly?

We are basing our model off of 500 Startups. In that model, for example, we would make a $100,000 investment in a company. The company would then pay LIFT ~$20k for a year of consulting services. This gives the company ~$80k in discretionary capital.
We thought about making this payment to LIFT optional. However, investors repeatedly said that they preferred that LIFT provide the entrepreneurs with services because it de-risks their investment.
This payment structure also helps LIFT cover basic expenses and not be incentivized to force a company to have an exit.
For example, most venture capitalists and angel investors prefer to take equity stakes in the companies they invest in. The only way those investors can get paid back, however, is if the company they invested in was acquired or went public. This leads to a perverse incentive for the investors to pressure companies to grow as quickly as possible (regardless of whether rapid growth negatively impacts workers, communities, or the environment). This is one of the negative outcomes we want to avoid.

If you successfully raise a loan-loss reserve and it doesn't get used, what happens to that money?

Any unused portion of the loan loss reserve will roll into a reserve pool for future funds.

Community Ventures is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that was set up a few years ago to help support the emergence of local living economies. The Force for Good Accelerator / Fund will be hosted at Community Ventures.
LIFT Economy will contract with Community Ventures to provide the accelerator coaching and support services.

Can I donate to this project instead of invest? Can I donate and invest?

Yes! We need both investment capital and charitable donations. To make a charitable donation to help fund our loan-loss reserve, please visit: www.razoo.com/story/Force-For-Good-Fund

Financials

At a Glance

January 1
to December 31

$107,215
[70%]

Revenue

$0

Net Profit

$0

Short Term Debt

$401,401

Raised in 2016

Cash on Hand

Income

Balance

Narrative

Community Ventures is a California public benefit corporation that has been in existence for 7 years. Its primary activity involves fiscally sponsoring projects and programs designed to increase community resilience and wealth.

To date, most of Community Ventures' revenues have come from grants, donations, and service contracts.

These funds are used to contract with program managers to carry out various charitable and educational activities. Community Ventures retains a percentage of funds to cover its administrative expenses.

Community Ventures expects to continue to fiscally sponsor a very limited number of programs that help it to fulfill its mission.

Each year, Community Ventures files a Form 990 or Form 990-EZ with the IRS. This is the form used to report the activities of an organization exempt from tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Community Ventures does not own any significant assets other than cash which is mostly committed to use by the programs that Community Ventures fiscally sponsors. Community Ventures has no outstanding debt. The current offering represents the first time that Community Ventures will be borrowing funds from investors.

A note from Wefunder. Unlike companies on the NASDAQ, early-stage startups have little operating history. Financial analysis is not as useful when there is limited data. It's more important to predict the size of the future market. If the founder achieves their vision, will enough customers pay the company enough money?

It's also common for fast-growing startups to lose money even faster: they are investing in future growth. In these cases, it's often better to check if the Cost of User Acquisition (CAC) is lower than the Lifetime Value (LTV) of that customer. If one spends $1000 today to make $10,000 over the next five years, that may be a smart bet. Amazon is a famous example of re-investing potential profits to maximize growth over 20 years.

Risks

1

The Notes are not secured by any collateral, nor are the Notes guaranteed or insured by the FDIC or any other entity. Our ability to pay interest or repay
principal depends solely on the success of the investees of the Force for Good Fund and their ability to meet their obligations to us.

There is no secondary market for the Notes, nor is a public market expected to develop. Therefore you may be required to retain the Note even under circumstances where it is economically undesirable to do so. You should invest in the Notes only if you have independent means for providing for your current and future needs and contingencies.

The Notes have not been submitted to any rating agency to obtain an opinion or rating of the risk of timely collection of principal and interest.

All decisions with respect to the management of the Force for Good Fund will be made exclusively by Community Ventures. Investors have no right to take part in the management of the fund or to vote on any matters affecting the fund, including the election of directors. Accordingly, you should not invest in the Notes unless you are willing to entrust all aspects of the management of the fund to Community Ventures.

All of the interest you earn on the Notes will be taxable income to you. No representation or warranty of any kind is made by Community Ventures or the officers, directors, or counsel to Community Ventures, or any other professional advisors thereto with respect to any tax consequences of any investment in the Notes. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR SHOULD SEEK THE INVESTOR’S OWN TAX ADVICE CONCERNING THE TAX CONSEQUENCES OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE NOTES.

Any continued future success that the Force for Good Fund might enjoy will depend upon many factors, including factors beyond our control and/or which cannot be predicted at this time. These factors may include but are not limited to changes in general economic conditions; increases in operating costs; and Community Ventures’ ability to obtain grants and donations to cover its operating costs. These conditions may have a material adverse effect upon our ability to meet our obligations under the Notes.

Much of the fund’s success depends on the skills, experience, and performance of its key persons. We currently do not have a firm plan fully detailing how to replaceany of these persons in the case of death or disability. Our success also depends on our ability to recruit, train, and retain qualified personnel. The loss of the services of any of the key members of senior management, other key personnel, or the inability to recruit, train, and retain senior management or key personnel may have a material adverse effect on our ability to meet our obligations under the Notes.

No assurance can be given that an investor will realize a substantial return on investment, or any return at all, or that an investor will not lose a substantial portion or all of the investment.

We will have significant flexibility in applying the proceeds of this offering. Our failure to apply such funds effectively could have a material adverse effect on our ability to meet our obligations under the Notes.

Our ability to continue to operate depends on our maintenance of tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Loss of this status would have a significant negative impact on our operations. It is possible that the IRS could determine that our activities no longer meet the requirements for continued tax-exempt status. This would have a material adverse effect on our ability to meet our obligations under the Notes.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities regulatory body has reviewed this offering.

Details

The Board of Directors

Director

Occupation

Joined

William Stern

teacher @ L.A. Unified School District

2009

Jenny Kassan

Attorney @ self

2009

Mark Mcleod

retired @ N/A

2009

Officers

Officer

Title

Joined

Jenny Kassan

President

2009

Mark Mcleod

Secretary, Treasurer

2009

Voting Power

No one has over 20% voting power.

Past Equity Fundraises

Date

Amount

Security

11/2016

$401,401

Revenue Share

Outstanding Debts

Lender

Issued

Amount

Oustanding

Interest

Maturity

Current?

11/08/2016

$401,401

%

Related Party Transactions

None.

Use of Funds

$100,000

The funds will be used to invest in Best for the World companies.

$1,000,000

The funds will be used to invest in Best for the World companies.

Capital Structure

Class of Security

Securities(or Amount) Authorized

Securities(or Amount) Outstanding

VotingRights

Preferred Stock

Form C Filing on EDGAR

The Securities and Exchange Commission hosts the official Form C on their EDGAR web site.

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What people are saying

You ought to take a look at these B Corporations... we've got to get back to a society that doesn't give one class of stakeholders an inordinate advantage over others.

Bill Clinton

Former President of the United States

I hope that five years from now, ten years from now, we'll look back and say B Corporations were the start of the revolution. The existing paradigm isn't working anymore--this is the future.

Yvon Chouinard

Founder of Patagonia

I think B Corporations will make more profits than ​other types of companies.​​

Robert Shiller

Winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Economics and Professor at Yale University

B Corporations are a way to transcend the contradictions between the ineffective parts of the social sector and myopic capitalism.

David Brooks

Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times

B Corporations recast the goals of the traditional business enterprise. They are becoming more prevalent as a new breed of businessperson seeks purpose with the fervor that traditional economic theory says entrepreneurs seek profit.

Daniel Pink

NYT Bestselling Author of "Drive" and "To Sell Is Human"

Notes from investors

Hi everyone! I am a big fan of democratizing access to investments as a way of restoring connection and restoring a more holistic definition of ROI. Glad to be a part of this! A little about my firm, SVT Group: we are "your outsourced Chief Impact Officer"- specializing in impact measurement, management and reporting since 2001.

You are doing awesome work with this! I live in San Francisco and am currently getting more involved with the B Corp community and movement. I've already had a chance to connect with Ryan. In addition to building an executive coaching business, I'm currently a Contracting Officer for the EPA and deal with acquisitions and contracts. Therefore, depending on your process for identifying prospect investees (e.g. via a Request for Info type of request through certain outlets), I may be able to help this process. Please let me know how I can be of help.

Executive and Leadership Coach @ Amit Raikar Coaching - Helping Those Who Do Good To Do Even Better

Hello, my name is Tony Pitts and I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I enjoy learning about and trying to practice progressive business and life philosophies. After 15 years as a Controller then CFO then CFO/COO of a $150MM manufacturing and distribution company, I am trying out the self-employed life and am keeping busy with a couple clients through my business, Great Lakes CFO. Over time, I hope to develop a more purpose driven client base, and have myself joined 1% for the Planet and registered as a pending B-Corp (but have not quite figured out how to move forward with that as a one person business at this point). Happy to help others in any way I can!

Hi, my name is Lori and I currently live with my family in Bend, OR. I spent the early part of my career working to protect the environment as a regulator and scientist. I recently completed my MBA at Pinchot University with a concentration in finance. Feel free to get in touch with me if there are other ways that I can help. I'm inspired by the innovative finance work being done here and would be delighted to connect!

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to support life-beneficial and women and people of color owned/managed businesses. We look forward to learning more about the businesses you select. We feel deeply aligned with the values you are supporting. (And Hi to Kevin!). Elizabeth Ferguson and Jeremy Lent

Thanks so much for creating this Accelerator! I'm an enthusiastic proponent of B-Corporations (I work part time for a newly minted B-Corp here in Boulder, Colorado, Help2heal), and love the work you're doing (I've listened to all the Next Economy Now podcasts and read the B-Corporation handbook).
If there is anything I can do from Boulder, please do not hesitate to let me know. Very excited to help!
Sincerely,
Brian

In the news

We are excited to announce the launch of the Force for Good Accelerator / Fund. This accelerator / fund is designed to nurture, support and grow women and people of color-owned, climate-change solving, "Best for the World" B Corporations (i.e., companies that score in the top 10 percent of B Corps worldwide).

In recent years, Warby Parker has become the eyeglass-maker of choice for hipsters. In a recent GQ taxonomy of the different varieties of nerd, all but one of the nerds were wearing a pair of Warby Parkers.

The B Corporation movement has come a long way since the founding of B Lab (the nonprofit behind the B Corps) in 2007. Well-known companies such as Ben & Jerry's, Dansko, Etsy, Method, New Belgium Brewery, Patagonia, Plum Organics, and Seventh Generation are just a few of the more than 1,100 Certified B Corporations (distinct from benefit corporations) now established across 80 industries and 35 countries, including Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Kenya, and Mongolia.

For most of the business world, the bottom line still reigns. But over the past several years, an alternative movement of companies dedicated to improving their social and environmental performance at the same time they focus on profit has emerged.

April 21, 2015
@ fastcoexist.com

04

21

2015

Ryan applied to
Wefunder

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